Cowgirl Basketball Looking for Big 12 Tournament Run to Improve Seeding

OSU is looking to move up in Bracketology with a nice run in Kansas City.

Mar 7, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls head coach Jacie Hoyt looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Texas Tech Lady Raiders at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-Imagn Images | Amy Kontras-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is gearing up for the Big 12 Tournament, and its performance could have a significant impact on the NCAA Tournament route for the Cowgirls.

Earning fourth in the Big 12 regular season standings, OSU will get to watch the first two rounds of the conference tournament before tipping off on Friday. While OSU has put together a solid resume over the course of the regular season, the Big 12 Tournament presents the final chance to move up in the national picture. 

Heading into the Big 12 Tournament, ESPN’s Charlie Creme still projects the Cowgirls to be a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with UCLA being the top seed on OSU’s side of the bracket. Even a loss in their first conference tournament game would probably have little impact on OSU, but a win or two or three could significantly affect how the rest of the Cowgirls’ postseason looks.

Moving up in the bracket is incredibly important for OSU for several reasons. While it’s obvious that moving up from No. 8 would give the Cowgirls a marginally easier opponent to face in the first round, it would have a much more important impact on the second round.

There’s no real doubt that it would take a near-miracle for OSU to advance past the second round if it ends up having to face UCLA or any other No. 1 seed in the tournament field. While beating any of the incredibly talented No. 2 seeds would also be difficult, it seems much more doable.

Should the Cowgirls manage to fight their way through the conference tournament and take the Big 12 crown, they might just be able to swing for a No. 6 seed and potentially face a team in the second round considered to be outside of the top 10 teams in the nation. Ideally, a Big 12 Tournament win would push OSU all the way into a hosting seed, but its late-season stumbles have made that almost impossible.

Still, a successful stretch of games in Kansas City should be enough to give OSU a far more favorable path to the Sweet 16 and beyond. OSU has made the Sweet 16 three times in school history and has never gone further. While OSU is certainly a long shot to make any deep run in the NCAA Tournament, tying the best run in school history is well within play, and a run to the Big 12 title could put a new best postseason run on the table.